One of the Keep men cleared his throat. “Um, actually,there’s a pair of ’em came in just after we went out, down the walls. They werepretty beat up, from what I hear. Might not want to go anywhere, but just maybe …”
“Great,” Jerdren muttered. “Dwarves no one knows, dwarves noone here can vouch for, and wounded to boot.”
Eddis glanced at Blorys, question in her eyes.
He shook his head minutely and mouthed, “Tell you later.”
“Jers,” he said. “The dwarves who tried to betray us-that wasan isolated incident, a clan that had been so ill-treated by men that it’s nosurprise to me they turned to evil and joined the orcs. They’d been tortured,remember?”
“They
“Why would they have lied about it? Doesn’t matter, though,Brother. These won’t be the same dwarves. I’m at least willing to talk to themwithout judging them by others of their kind.” Stubborn silence. “You know howangry you used to get when one of the officers looked at you and you could tell what he was thinking-‘Villager, country boy, common lout. Maybe he’s smarterthan the deer he hunts, but probably not by much.’ Now listen to you!”
Jerdren’s mouth quirked. “All right, Blor, I know. I just…doesn’t matter. Each of you think about this tonight. If you want it, any ofyou, so far as I’m concerned, you’re in. Think about what you’d want for extraweapons and supplies, what we’ll all need.”
“Maybe,” Eddis replied sourly. “Personally, all I’m planningon is a decent night’s sleep. I don’t know when you slept last night, Jerdren,but I’m a much nicer woman to deal with when I’ve had a full night of unbrokensleep.”
“Fine. That’s it then. We’re done here?” He went to the doorand knocked. One of the guards ushered them into the hall and another came from the head of the stairs to escort them down and turn them over to the main- floor guards.
There was no sign of the master and even less light along the walls. Somewhere in the distance, Eddis could hear someone snoring lustily. Sleep, she thought. I’m half sick for it. Until she’d had several hours ofoblivion on that nice, soft pallet back at the inn, she wouldn’t give anyfurther thought to this mad notion of the castellan’s-or Jerdren’s.
Jerdren, predictably, had the last word as they parted outside the tavern. Some of the Keep men had gone off to their barracks, and the elves were heading for the inn. M’Baddah and his son had already gone, andBlorys had followed the other Keep men into the tavern to secure a table and order wine.
“One more thing,” he said.
Eddis fought a yawn. “A quick one more thing,” she said. “Imeant that about sleep.”
“Well, all right. One person I’ve already decided we need, ifwe can get him. I don’t know if you’ve battled in caves, gone looking for thingshiding in them…”
She shook her head.
“Elves and dwarves are useful for seeing in the gloom, andBlor’s right, most dwarves are born to that kind of fighting. But when you’re upagainst foul things living in dark, twisty places, and they’ve been there a longtime…”
“There’s a point here?” she asked as he hesitated.
“Thing is, we used the fellers back in the army as well, anddursed useful they were.”
Silence. She folded her arms and waited.
“Well, thieves. Remember that long-fingered lad who snippedyour purse and nearly made off with it? That one-he’s good, Eddis. We could usehim. And I wager if we asked nice, old Ferec would make us a present of him. Dungeons are rather full just now anyway, aren’t they?”
Before she could think of anything to say to this outrageous proposition, he smiled and strode into the tavern. A roar of excitement filled the room.
“I’m not going anywhere with him,” Eddis snarled under herbreath, “because I’m going to murder him!”
She turned and stalked off to the private room she shared with Blot. Halfway there, she slowed her pace and began counting, up to ten and back down again, until her fit of temper eased. The poor child was no doubt still in terror of her. Not point in scaring her worse than she already was. Gods, she thought suddenly. If for some fool’s reason I do decide to take onthis mad venture, what ever will we do with that child?
11
Eddis woke with a start in the gray light of early day. Thesmall sleeping room she ordinarily enjoyed so much all at once felt confining. I dreamed of caves, she thought, and shuddered. She tried to remember anything about the dream but couldn’t except a sense of dread and darkness. Well, itwasn’t dark here and now, but the room was overly warm and stuffy. The wind, ifany, wasn’t blowing through the window slit, as it usually did at this hour.After so many nights of sleeping in the open, it was small wonder she’d had baddreams about close places.
Eddis edged onto one elbow. The door was still barred from the inside and there, on the floor, she could make out a small huddle of blanket just under the window. Blot slept, so far as she could tell.
Gods, she thought in sudden panic. What are we-what am I todo with a child? A half-grown girl who’s been ill-treated by hard men all herlife? A child who barely trusted her and was afraid of everyone else except M’Baddah? She sighed quietly. Worse yet, if M’Baddah, M’Whan, and I decide notto go back to guiding, if we take up this new fight…. It’s astonishing shesurvived so long in a robber’s den. She wouldn’t stand a chance in those caves,but how could we simply leave her here? There are good, honest people here, and they’d do their best by her, but they’d never understand her. All she’d know isthat M’Baddah befriended her when we took her away from the only life she everknew-and then we abandoned her.
At the same time, Eddis knew she wasn’t much of a person todeal with ordinary children, let alone this one. Somehow, she’d managed not tolose patience with the little one’s fears the night before and simply let hersleep on the floor.
“A bed,” she had said, “was not a place for a Blot.”
Eddis gazed down at the still bundle, eyes narrowed as she remembered. “I could kill those men,” she whispered.
The child knew only what those men had told her: Townfolk and such were “nocks,” good only for the money, gems, and grain others could stealfrom them. She’d protested staying with Eddis and had difficulty understandingwhen M’Baddah explained that in towns and in houses, women and girls sharedprivate rooms while men all slept together. Eventually, he and Eddis realized the child had no concept of sex. There were only “nocks,” men like the bandits,and Blot. When the outlander had tried to explain that Blot, Eddis, and the merchant’s ransomed lady were all “she,” the girl had stared at him in visibledisbelief.
One thing for certain, Eddis decided as she swung her legs to the floor. First thing this morning, before she and Jerdren started butting heads over their “reward,” she and M’Baddah would go buy proper clothing forBlot. We can’t keep calling her Blot. It’s cruel.
A tap on the door brought her back to the moment. It was growing lighter outside the window, and she could hear people moving about. She dragged on breeches and padded barefoot across the little room. Blot came awake with a start as she opened the door. M’Baddah came in, bearing a thick clay pot filledwith steaming hot tea and a cloth bag full of warm, spiced rolls. Eddis rummaged in her pack for her cup.
“The taverner gave me leave to brew my own herbs over hisfire,” the outlander said. “He also sent along the rolls. Good morning, youngfriend,” he added with a smile. Blot sat in the midst of her blanket, rubbingher eyes. “Here is food for you, and drink.”
He was quiet and patient, persuading the girl that she had no early duties, that he and Eddis wanted her to eat and drink with them, that she could have as much of both tea and bread as she liked. Two small rolls and a cup of tea later, the girl handed M’Baddah back his cup and sat back against thewall, tugging the blanket over her bare feet.
“She needs something decent to wear, M’Baddah,” Eddis saidthen.
